


Abstracted

by lilachues



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Max's (Camp Camp) Parents Are Bad Parents, Mentioned Max's (Camp Camp) Parents, Mentions of Daniel's (Camp Camp) Parents, Mentions of Other Campers, On the Run, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Daniel (Camp Camp), Past Child Abuse, Stockholm Syndrome, Swearing, Tags May Change, might be a little ooc but w/e, this be my first fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2020-05-14 12:01:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19272874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilachues/pseuds/lilachues
Summary: Max couldn't let anyone get close to him. Nobody knew the real him, nor would they ever understand him. Not that he understood himself any better.What if the "Fun-Raiser" had failed and Camp Campbell was shut down?





	1. Chapter 1

Max felt the warmth of the sun’s rays that peaked through the canvas, into the shared tent between him and Neil. Normally, he would’ve been one of the last to wake up but this seemed to be the rare occasion where he was the first. He didn’t hear the typical commotion from the other campers, or even Neil’s whiny voice. He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes, the blur of last night’s dream fading as he adjusted to the natural light. Max looked over to the side, watching Neil’s blanket lift and fall with every breath. He slipped out of his hammock and decided to make some coffee, but came to a halt.  
  
“Damn it..” He whispered, realizing that he had forgotten to grab new coffee grounds. Figuring that it was light out, Gwen and David would be already getting today’s activities ready-- maybe he could mess around with them before grabbing what he needed. Max stretched a bit before stepping outside into the cool morning air. He began walking across the grainy trail towards the cafeteria, the sounds of the typical faint bird songs seemingly missing this morning. All he could hear however, was the crunch from the dirt path. To his surprise, the food hall doors were locked. Yet, Max heard two familiar voices from the inside. Max curiously peered through the window to see Gwen and David visibly troubled— in some sort of argument. Their words were slightly muffled, but he could make out most of it.  
  
Gwen had her arms crossed tightly, pacing back and forth nervously. Her face was wrinkled with a frown carved deep into her cheeks. Meanwhile David was sat on one of the tables, leaning over paperwork.  
  
“What are we gonna do David?! The fundraiser didn’t make enough cash, and god knows how much more we need to keep this place from shutting down. Our bank accounts can’t handle the strain-“  
  
“Gwen.”  
  
Max shifted his eyes over to David who just stared, his eyes dormant, down at what he’d now presumed to be the bills. His hand gently placed on her arm, which seemed to help calm her down. The other counselor ceased her fidgeting and paid attention to him.  
  
“We can’t do anything, we’re going to have to shut this place down soon. Like you said: neither of us combined could handle paying for this place."  
  
David had spoken with such softness, Max almost missed his voice faltering just slightly. He pulled away from the window, with such haste he had fallen to the ground. The boy clambered to his feet, his knees feeling as if they would give as he began to run. With each step, Max felt his cheeks become wet.

* * *

“Come on Max.. We have to go.”  
  
Nikki tugged incessantly on the boy’s backpack.  
  
“You’re gonna catch a cold.”  
  
Following a silence that seemed as if it would last forever, Max turned his back to the camp and stepped onto the bus. He looked onward, with other faceless forms chatting happily. Their high pitch voices were garbled, a language as foreign and unrecognizable as they were to him. Their faces morphed to have a large singular wrinkle, the corners turned upwards. Disgust rose inside of him, bunching up his fingers into fists. Before he could fire off on the others, Neil and Nikki ushered him towards the backseat.  
  
After the two shared quick conversation on who would break the silence, Neil spoke up: “Just because camp is over doesn’t mean we won’t talk to each other anymore. We can call each other, and hang out.” Nikki chimed in, nodding her head. “We can do waaaay more stuff now that we won’t have David and Gwen around. Cheer up Max! You’ll always have us.”  
  
Max’s eyes stared out through the window behind them. The camp’s colors slowly faded as it disappeared over the horizon. The road underneath the bus shifting to greyscale. He sat back down, facing the front.  
  
“I don’t even know why the both of you are still talking to me. You weren’t even my friends. The only reason why I hung out with you guys is because you were the least annoying people here. Just get out of my fucking face.”  
  
Both of their cheery faces dropped and hardened, unrecognizable. He watched as their faces swirled into themselves, leaving gaping holes. Max wanted to reach out to the two faceless forms leaving his side. Yet, something kept his arm bound to his side. Nonetheless he moved his gaze downwards, his ears canceling out the background noise. The bus soon emptied, the memories of warmness going with all the people that left. Max got up from his seat, moving towards the door at the front. He could feel Quartermaster’s eyes on him, watching from the mirror. The boy went down the steps, tightly gripping the strap of his backpack. Once he had both feet on the ground, the doors closed behind him. Max turned to watch the bus drive off, the saturated colors of summer frozen over by the cool toned autumn. He was home. Max walked towards his home, the small two-story building towering over him. The boy knocked on the door, awaiting a response. After a solid minute he set his bag down, standing on top of the coffee table they had on their porch. He reached into the strung-up bird house, retrieving the spare key. Max hopped down and unlocked the door, taking his bag inside.  
  
After slamming the door behind him, he looked around the house. There was dust everywhere. He took his bag off and let it fall to ground. A note on the counter read: ON VACATION— BE BACK SOON.  
  
Max crumpled the note, throwing it in a bin. He walked to the kitchen and made himself a bowl of cereal. After all, the fridge and cupboards were empty. When he walked to the living room, he averted his eyes from the walls. Max sat on the couch and turned the television on, taking the time to wrap himself up in a blanket. Despite his attempts to get comfortable, something continually flipped his stomach like a hourglass. His eyes shot straight at the photos of his family decorating the room, with some awards and accolades given to his brother who outshone him. He felt that if he squinted enough, they would look like the faces of people that used to matter to him once. The boy put his bowl on the side table, proceeded to turn the pictures over and covered the cabinets with a separate blanket. Once he sat down, he let out the breath he had been holding in this entire time. No one was looking at him anymore. Not even the shadow of his family could bother him right now. Max felt his body sink into the cushions of the couch, and his mind tuned into whatever trash was on the screen. 

* * *

  
Max woke up to the sound of the tv, sitting up and stretching. Several bowls of cereal were on the coffee table at this point and he had finished the last of it for dinner. He scratched his head, and stood up. The boy looked around the house and managed to find some money left behind in his parents’ room. He went over to his backpack that had been sitting at the door since he’d first arrived and emptied it. Max zipped it up and shoved the house key into his pocket, locking the home before he left. Usually if he had his old bike, he would take the long way. However, some prick stole it and now he had to walk. The boy did the mental routing in his head and decided that it’d be faster to cut through the woods in order to grab what he needed, and so he did just that.  
  
Max entered into the wooded area, enjoying the crunchiness of the dead leaves strewn about. Despite it being deep into fall, he could feel the warmth of the sun peeking through the naked tree branches. The boy unknowingly closed his eyes, but what he saw seemed more real than everything was when they were open.  
  
He saw the leaves float upwards and root themselves onto the branches, bleeding into green. Past the treetops he could see a yellow flag waving in the distance, it wasn’t just any yellow flag. Max felt himself run towards the flag, getting closer and closer. He could practically hear everyone’s voices. The boy saw how close he was to the campsite, the entrance a mere yard away. The next step caused his foot to get caught on a tree root and made him fall onto his face. When he sat to hold his nose and looked back up, he only saw the bare trees for miles. Suddenly he looked around, forgetting where he had gone. In the midst of his daydreaming, he had gotten himself lost and dirty. The boy stood up and looked around to find anything that seemed the least bit familiar, but nothing was. Max dusted some of the dirt off himself. If he was going to pull himself together, it would need to be now. He walked around, retracing his steps. No matter what he did he only plunged himself deeper into the woods.  
  
After what seemed like hours, the sun had begun to set. Max could feel the coldness really set in, as did his hunger. He almost gave up when he saw a faint glow of light. Stranger danger doesn’t appear in one’s mind when you haven’t eaten in a whole day. The boy approached the small home, smoke lifting from the depths of the chimney peacefully. Max didn’t hesitate before knocking on the door.  
  
A young blonde woman opened the door, whose gaze went above him then slowly trailed downwards. Only then her eyebrows shot up in delight. Somehow she seemed like a familiar face, which was welcome in a place Max wasn’t used to.  
  
“What’s up with a kid like you doing in the woods at this hour?” Her smile shone through her concern, making it seem a little bit of an act. Max replied, “..I got lost and couldn’t find my way back from the trail. Is it alright if I stay here for the night and have the directions for town in the morning?”  
  
“What a big request..” The woman held her chin in fake-thought. “Why of course you can. Come inside, I’ll make you something.”  
  
Max looked around, then followed her inside her home. He swore he saw something watching him in the darkness. Must’ve been his imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, here's the rewritten version of the first chapter lol
> 
> because of all this quarantine stuff going on, i will post the next chapter relatively soon.
> 
> stay safe yall


	2. Chapter 2

Max sat down inside the woman’s house, the warmth quickly wrapping around him. The pictures that hung on her walls made him feel a certain longing, for something that always slipped through his fingers like sand. She was happier in her photos, younger. He turned his attention to the woman at her kitchen nook, making some cocoa for the two of them. She was several years older than how she used to look, now with a tinge of tiredness that hung under her eyes. The woman reached into the cupboards, looking for something. Max turned his attention back to the decorated interior. It looked straight out of an IKEA catalogue. He played with his hoodie strings until he saw her coming over.

She returned with the cocoa, two cups full of marshmallows. “I’m Jen. What’s your name?”

The name became singled out in his head.

“Wait, weren’t you that crazy cult chick?”

Max stood up, a confused look replacing his typical frown. Jen merely sighed and gave him a smile.

“I used to be. After I was sent away from your camp, Gwen actually kept in contact with me afterwards. She helped me through ‘it,’ even getting me in touch with a therapist—but I get it if you’re uncomfortable around me. All I want to do though is give you a place to stay until you can go back home. I promise I’m not trying to hurt you.”

Her gentle blue eyes pleaded with him to sit back down, making him follow reluctantly. He kept watching her movements. Jen only sat still; nothing in her body language signaling malice.

Max picked up his mug, the sweet aroma sliding into his nose. His stomach rumbled, only giving him more incentive to hastily down the hot drink. The two drank their mugs until they were empty. The silence for the first time didn’t hurt so much.

Jen placed her mug down onto the coffee table and watched the fire crackle. Max followed in suit, feeling the safety of the cabin take over. He leaned back into the couch, beginning to yawn. His eyes started to hang low, as his limbs relaxed. Jen put a blanket over the boy, heading towards her own bedroom. From the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw a white figure following after her.

And with that, sleep swiftly swept up his consciousness.

* * *

  
When he came to, bright white lights blinded his eyes. The boy felt groggy as he began to sit up. He looked around, seeing his arm hooked up to one of those IV bags. Alongside the tubes, was a bandaid. His arm was terribly sore. Max looked down and realized he was in a hospital gown. His eyes scanned the white room, the walls were covered with medicine cabinets with two doors adjacent to one another. The room was unbearably covered in the stench of bleach. _A hospital? How the fuck did I get here?_ He asked himself. While the dizziness refused to die down, Max tried to remember the events from the night before. _The forest..then Jen’s cabin.._ His eyes widened, he remembered a white figure. The more he thought about it, the more his stomach began to sink as the various parts of his surroundings clicked into place. I need to get out of here. The boy tried to stand, however the moment he put his weight onto his legs— he simply fell backwards onto the bed. Shit, she was working with—

“Might not want to do that. The sleep medicine is still in your system, Max.” A familiar voice slithered in, bringing Max’s attention to a tall man that had quietly entered the room. His captor stood upright, with his signature grin--almost similar to the first time he had seen him. Daniel, who seemed to be hiding something behind his back sent sirens running through his mind. Max immediately backed up to the furthest corner of his bed. He quickly looked around for a form of weapon or barrier to defend himself, opting for the pillow to his side of him. His voice croaked, “Stay the hell away from me!”

Daniel took out the glass of water he had been holding, his other hand up.

“I’m not going to hurt you Max. I just want to give you some water, it's okay.”

“You probably poisoned it or some shit. I’m not gonna fall for it.”

“Believe what you want, but I know you need to drink some water right now. Aren’t you thirsty?”

Max felt himself inwardly frown harder. He was thirsty—not that he would admit to it. Hell even the sight of water made his throat ache. Daniel slowly moved towards the table beside Max, setting the water down. He gently took Max’s arm, carefully removing the IV. As he cleaned his forearm, Max watched the man quizzically. _Why the hell is he doing this?_

“I know that you’re confused why you’re here. The thing is: I have been watching you. Normally, you know that I would have tried to kill you by now.”

Max took his arm away, holding it close to his chest protectively. Daniel held his hand out for Max to put it back.

“—but things are different. I can see clearer than I used to before. I couldn't see how much potential you have. When I came to your camp, I saw how truly incompetent your counselors were. Now I know you are very attached to them. The thing is, they shouldn’t have been taking care of you, or anyone else for that matter. Think of how many times have you and your friends been close to dying because your counselors didn’t listen to you?”

Max inched his arm back into Daniel’s hand. Daniel continued to clean, then followed up with some gauze.

“It feels unfair to be thrown away by your parents to dogs, doesn’t it? Yet you’re become independent, tactical, and clever. It is because of those things you've survived the world and even made a couple of partners. Still, you feel an emptiness in yourself. Something like a black hole, eating away inside. It might have even made you push away people--distractions. All they are doing is keeping you off your true path. I'm here to help guide and teach you more than you would have ever learned anywhere else. In a world full of people you can't connect with, isn’t that the thing you want more than anything in the world to be understood?”

Daniel shifted his weight on the bed, keeping a strong gaze with Max. 

“I know exactly how you must be feeling. If you don’t believe it as such, then take it as me being able to empathize with you. It seems at first to anyone that we are two very different people, but not as much as you might think. When I was doing some self-reflection in the hospital, Xemüg came to me and showed me just how much I see myself in you. You just need guidance to reach your full potential. Not the kind you were getting at the forsaken camp. I’ve made it my own mission to watch over you. I finally have come to save you from your-”

Max felt disgust, utterly violated. Anger rose up, and boiled inside of him. He could practically feel the flame burn hot and red. _Daniel had no fucking place to know anything about him._ Before he could pull himself back, he found his fist already connected with Daniel’s nose. Daniel held his nose after recovering from the shock. Max could see a similar fire, one that was blue, reflected in the man’s sharp eyes quickly extinguish itself. Daniel wiped his nose, blood smudging his face.

“I see. You probably need some more rest, this is admittedly a lot to take in at once. We’ll chat more at dinner when you’re not as tired and.. confused.”

Max held his own hand, rubbing his knuckles. Despite his flat tone, half of Max felt immediate satisfaction for doing it. He watched as Daniel stood up, and headed for the door. As he saw him leave, a cold wind rushed through his chest. Daniel turned off the lights, stopped and looked back at him from the side.

“Welcome home, Max.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanna thank my homie for taking a look at my chapters :) also hello yes i have returned


End file.
